Oedipus the King: A Hero
analytical Essay
764 words
Throught Oedipus Rex, Oedipus displays his heroism many times. From the Prologue of the play to the moment in which he leaves Thebes, Oedipus' heroics are extremely apparent; however, at the same time, the decisions which make Oedipus a hero ultimately become the decisions which bring him to shame and exile. From before Oedipus was born, he was doomed to kill his father and marry his mother, a very cursed fate. Throughout his life, the readers learn that Oedipus tries his hardest to avoid this dreadful proclamation; however, the gods were against him before he was even in his mother's womb, so Oedipus and the readers quickly learn that there would be no way for him to avoid his destiny. Before the play begins, we learn of Oedipus' heroism. Thebes had been tortured by the Sphinx, who would consume a townsman for every day that his riddle remained unsolved. Then humble Oedipus arrived in Thebes, solved this un-answerable riddle, and was immediately deemed a hero, and promoted to king of Thebes, taking his late father's place at the throne. In the begining of the play, Oedipus' heroism shows once more when he promises to end his city's terrible plague, a plague which has been destroying every living thing. He soon finds out that the only way to end the plague would be to identify King Laius murderer and either banish him or exile him. Oedipus vowed ...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oedipus displays his heroism throughout the play, but his decisions ultimately bring him to shame and exile.
- Analyzes how oedipus was doomed to kill his father and marry his mother, a cursed fate, but the gods were against him before he was born.
- Narrates how oedipus solved the un-answerable riddle in thebes and was promoted to king.
- Analyzes how oedipus' heroism shows once again when he promises to end his city's terrible plague, a plague which has been destroying every living thing.
- Analyzes how oedipus is a very honest and persistent man. even when teiresias begs him to stop questioning him, he forces the truth-teller to speak truth.
- Analyzes how oedipus does not believe this news, and still tries to get to the bottom of this murder mystery. each person that he questions unravels another piece of information which would eventually confirm teiresias' accusation that
- Analyzes how oedipus remained determined to solve the question. teiresias, the shephard, and the messenger advise him not to continue his investigation.
- Analyzes how oedipus accepted his punishment of exile and made plans to leave. he did not leave without making sure that his children would be taken care of, and his brother-in-law creon promised him that.
- Analyzes how oedipus purified thebes, rid the city of the sphinx, solved the mystery of who killed laius, and found out about his true identity.
- Analyzes how choragos begged the men of thebes to pray that he find life in this time of death.
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- analytical
- argumentative
- Oedipus, The Tragic Heroanalytical essayBorn into a royal family, Oedipus was one of the bearers of a disastrous generational curse. He had no idea what he was born into, or what he would become. Poor Oedipus was put into to the world to serve as an example from the gods. Although Oedipus was said to be a victim of fate, he contributed to his own fate more than the gods. He was placed into the world to with a prophecy that he will kill his father and married his mother and conceive children with her, but that was just a prophecy not his destiny. Oedipus could have determined a new destiny for himself, but instead he did more things to make the prophecy true rather than false. The life of Oedipus was a great tragedy, not only for him but for his entire family. Although the gods may have set a prophecy for Oedipus future, Oedipus contribute mostly to his destiny.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oedipus had a bad temper. he accused his brother-in-law creon of plotting to kill him and tiresias of killing laius.
- Opines that oedipus' temper was so great that he was overtly disrespectful to tiresias, a blind prophet.
- Opines that oedipus' pride caused him to fall. he dodged their prophecy by leaving corinth and getting away from his parents.
- Explains charters, ann, and samuel barclay's "oedipus the king." literature and its writers: a compact introduction to fiction, poetry and drama.
- Analyzes how oedipus, born into a royal family, contributed to his fate more than the gods. he saved thebes from the sphinx by solving the riddle.
- Analyzes how oedipus was arrogant, egotistical, and hubris. he blamed himself for being so blind to facts and hints.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes aristotle's definition of a tragic hero, stating that oedipus the king defines the meaning of what he is.
- Analyzes how oedipus proves to be a great and courageous man because of his extreme intelligence and cleverness.
- Analyzes how the heart of the story unravels when oedipus apparently begins to suffer a reversal of fortunes.
- Analyzes how oedipus remains admirable to the audience at the end of the play. he takes full responsibility for his actions rather than fleeing the punishment he so rightly defined for the criminal.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oedipus is the perfect fit of being a tragic hero because he was born into royalty and held the royal persona. he solved the riddle of the sphinx, which made him an honorable man.
- Narrates how oedipus was born into a royal family, but when the family found out about his fate, they sent him with the man to kill the baby.
- Analyzes oedipus' reversal of misfortune. his curiosity kept him busy trying to avoid his father's death, and his arrogance led him to leave thebes.
- Opines that oedipus did all he could to avoid the horrible fate that was placed onto him and his fate eventually took over his life.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oedipus' journey to self-discovery connects to the theme of the play, where he describes himself as a great force for the city, and so far seems to have helped the plague-stormed city.
- Analyzes how the people of thebes see oedipus as god, and want his help to fight the plague called sphinx.
- Analyzes how sophocles uses this juxtaposition to communicate the theme of self-discovery by demonstrating how oedipus sees himself once he discovered who
- Analyzes how sophocles uses a variety of themes, including oedipus' self-discovery. he is considered the hero, but the citizens of thebes discover his true identity.
612 wordsRead More - Free Oedipus the King Essays: Oedipus as the Hero Archetypeanalytical essayOedipus as the Hero Archetype The character Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King follows a literary pattern known as the hero archetype. The hero archetype is a pattern involved with transformation and redemption. Manifest in three stages called the quest, the initiation, and the sacrifice, Oedipus is transformed from the redeemer of the city to the cause of its downfall. These three stages are clearly revealed and although they are separate entities, each intertwine.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that oedipus follows a literary pattern known as the hero archetype, which involves transformation and redemption.
- Narrates how oedipus learns from the oracle at delphi that it is in his fate to kill his father and marry his mother. he travels far and arrives at thebes during a time of great turmoil.
- Analyzes how apollo's oracle decreed the only way to end the plague is to seek out the murderer of the predecessor to the throne, laius.
- Analyzes how oedipus enters the separation phase of the second stage, the initiation, when the blind "seer" tiresias charges that he is the cause of pestilence.
- Analyzes how the third stage, the sacrifice, is symbolized by oedipus removing himself from the city. his intense love is the most important element that makes him the hero archetype.
- Analyzes how sophocles' oedipus defines the hero archetype. all prerequisites, the quest, initiation into a state of knowledge from innocence and ignorance, and the sacrifice of losing the most important facets of his life are clearly met.
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In this essay, the author
- Compares beowulf with oedipus rex, an anglo-saxon folk epic written by an unknown author. the two works depict a hero and the depiction of government.
- Analyzes how beowulf tells the story of one of the most heroic men of anglo-saxon times. he uses his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself.
- Compares the depiction of beowulf and oedipus. both heroes are of aristocratic birth.
- Analyzes how oedipus is classified as a tragic hero because of his mental strengths and his ability to solve the sphinx riddle. beowulf dies heroically and the geats mourn his loss.
- Compares how hrothgar and oedipus feel the anguish of their people after grendel raids herot and kills all of the people there.
- Explains that hero and government are two examples of common threads shared by beowulf and oedipus rex. the two works were written for two entirely different purposes.
1176 wordsRead More - Oedipus Tragic Hero Essayanalytical essayThroughout the play, there are many examples that support the argument that Oedipus is a tragic hero. By definition, a tragic hero is “a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat”. Oedipus is a concerned and loving king whose people trust him explicitly. However, throughout the play, he makes choices that put him in bad situations. The play tells the story of Oedipus' journey to try and uncover the mystery of Laius' murder, as told by the oracle. Throughout his journey, he commits horrible crimes, and destroys both himself and his life. Oedipus also drags innocent people down with him. Oedipus is a tragic hero because of his fatal flaws, he was born of noble birth, he showed excessive pride and he became more self aware.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oedipus is a tragic hero because of his fatal flaws, he was born of noble birth, showed excessive pride and became more self-aware.
- Analyzes how oedipus had a fatal flaw that sophocles made clear throughout the play: hubris, which means excessive pride, makes people less fond of him.
- Analyzes how tiresias is telling oedipus his life story, which he will soon find out is true.
- Analyzes how oedipus's increase of self awareness contributed to his downfall towards the end of the play. he eventually discovered that he killed his father lauis.
- Explains that all tragic novels, short stories or plays have a tragic hero. in the play, oedipus rex, he was categorized as being born of noble stature, showing extreme pride in themselves, and to gain knowledge of self awareness.
595 wordsRead More - Oedipus the King: Pride and Determinationanalytical essayPride and Determination in Oedipus Rex A man has many defining characteristics - some positive and some negative. At times, a potentially positive characteristic may cause his eventual downfall. This concept can be directly related to the story Oedipus Rex. Aristotle stated, “the tragic hero falls into bad fortune because of some flaw in his character of the kind found in men of high reputation and good fortune such as Oedipus.”
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how pride and determination in oedipus rex can be attributed to his downfall. aristotle states that the tragic hero falls into bad fortune because of a flaw in his character.
- Analyzes how oedipus' personality clearly reflects pride and determination throughout the play. when he heard the oracles' prediction that his father and mother would be murdered, his pride rose to a new level, resulting in his marriage to jocasta.
- Analyzes how oedipus fulfilled the prophecy because of his pride and determination.
- Analyzes how oedipus' story shows that pride, sometimes thought of as a positive characteristic, may lead to one's downfall if it is expressed as arrogance.
532 wordsRead More - Oedipus the King: A Painful Path to Truthanalytical essayOedipus goes on with his journey not knowing about what he is going to do next. Oedipus runs into some people at a crossing on this journey and quarrels with them to there death. After this, he goes along to a city named Thebes where he outsmarted a beast that was cursing the city. He received praise and joy. While gaining the trust of all that lived there he quickly became King of Thebes. The people loved him because he was such a great leader. He was such a great king because he had a lot of love for his people and would do anything in his power to make them happy. As a result of this, Oedipus finds out that the city is in trouble unless the killer of their late king is found and punished. Little does Oedipus know that he is the killer of their late King or that the King was actually his father. Oedipus will strive for awnsers even though he has been warned not to dig to deep, for he will regret it.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the play "oedipus rex" is full of excitement, suspense, happiness, sorrow, and much more.
- Narrates how oedipus goes on his journey not knowing what he is going to do next. he outsmarts a beast that was cursing the city and becomes king of thebes.
- Analyzes how sophocles uses the word blindness in many different ways. oedipus is a man ignorant to the true appearance of things.
- Opines that "oedipus rex" was one of the greatest plays ever written. the major themes in the play were outstanding and the way sophocles uses the word blind made it worth while.
742 wordsRead More - Oedipus Tyrannus By Aeschylus: Play Analysisanalytical essayThe play of Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles begins with the city of Thebes being struck by plagues. The oracle at Delphi is inquired which states that the murderer of the previous king, Laius, resides in the city and that is why Thebes is being punished. The current king, Oedipus, vows that he will do anything to bring the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the greeks believed in the idea of the three fates. people could learn their fates if they visited a priestess of apollo, especially at delphi.
- Analyzes how the play of oedipus tyrannus by sophocles begins with the city of thebes being struck by plagues.
- Analyzes how oedipus sends for the sole survivor to discover the truth. in the midst of the murder investigation, a corinthian visits the palace to tell him that polybius had died.
- Analyzes how oedipus' choice to avoid his fate led him closer to the prophecy. he traveled to delphi on a rumor that he wasn't the real son of polybius and merope, but once receiving it, ran away.
- Analyzes how agamemnon's wife, clytemnestra, kills his daughter, iphigenia, angering her enough that she plots to murder him. cassandra, the daughter of priam, is cursed so people will not understand her prophecies.
- Analyzes how cassandra can see the future, but her curse prohibits people from believing her despite them always coming true. the idea of free-will seems contradictory in these stories.
- Explains that in ancient plays, the message is that no matter the choices made, people cannot escape their fate. there are no oracles to seers that can tell the future.
1255 wordsRead More